Will UCONN continue to dominate?

[SoonerNorm]

We are seeing teams in the PAC 12 improving. Notre Dame is doing really well. S. Carolina recruits top players. Ohio St. and Maryland are getting better. Baylor & Texas are recruiting top talent, etc, etc.

Do you think UCONN will continue to dominate women's basketball in the next 10 years or do you think we will see another team(s) start winning as many or more national championships as the Huskies?

 

[soonerstar]

Yes, as long as Auriemma is there.

 

[bluesooner17]

As long as Geno is there UCONN will be the power house of WBB. The only WAY that doesn't happen is if coaches start taking away recruits Geno wants and he has to take a step down on recruits which I can never see happen.

 

[womenssports]

Yes, as long as Geno is there and if his assistant were to take over, which I am not sure she would, then yes again.

 

[sybarite]

I don't know if Geno has a complacency factor. As long as he wishes, being now sixty-one, I think he can build and rebuild. In his rebuilding years, he will be a likely Final Four candidate.

He may not have enough next year to repeat as champions. But, it usually takes only a year or two to assemble the pieces for another run of three or four. I don't think it is that Geno gets everyone that he wants. I think he gets enough, and drills them into a proficient operation. I think he knows what he can do with a prospect, while others just want the prospect. He just has to find a fit.

I think it may actually become easier for Geno. There are now more teams in the hunt for talent. South Carolina is up there. Notre Dame is always there. But, even the Oregon State's of the world are attracting talent. You can lose a prospect to Florida State. It's not just Tennessee and Stanford fighting it out any more. Two dozen teams are trying to get the top thirty talent. Geno will get his, and the rest may be spread out a bit more.

 

[TheMont]

Just curious -- does anyone know if Geno has ever discussed why he prefers coaching women instead of men?

 

[SoonerNorm]

We may be seeing Geno losing out on elite players now. He definitely wanted Cox. I strongly suspect he wanted Holmes and Sutton too. I'm not saying that Geno is going to fall far but, with as many coaches who are signing great players, I think we could see another team or two challenge his throne in the next 2-3 years. He can't cherry pick as he used to. Players used to believe they had to go to UCONN if they wanted a NC. Now, they can see other programs on the rise which are closer to home. In the next 10 years, I do not think UCONN will win as many NCs as they have the last 10 years.

If we can't beat UCONN, I hope Baylor or Texas can.

 

[womenssports]

I don't think it is that Geno gets everyone that he wants. I think he gets enough, and drills them into a proficient operation. I think he knows what he can do with a prospect, while others just want the prospect. He just has to find a fit.

I agree. Not sure I would want him to coach my child or any coach for that matter, until I had had an extensive conversation; but he is great at coaching basketball, I am not sure about the other aspects involved in coaching. I would just want my child to learn values, learn to think, learn to respect others, etc etc which would be part of coaching.

 

[Mac]

We may be seeing Geno losing out on elite players now. He definitely wanted Cox. I strongly suspect he wanted Holmes and Sutton too. I'm not saying that Geno is going to fall far but, with as many coaches who are signing great players, I think we could see another team or two challenge his throne in the next 2-3 years. He can't cherry pick as he used to. Players used to believe they had to go to UCONN if they wanted a NC. Now, they can see other programs on the rise which are closer to home. In the next 10 years, I do not think UCONN will win as many NCs as they have the last 10 years.

If we can't beat UCONN, I hope Baylor or Texas can.

I think Cox was the one Geno really wanted in 2016, the team has a need for bigs vs anything else right now, maybe a true shooting guard...

I think Uconn will always be an elite program, but yes it will depend on the 2017 class... No uconn team in recent yeas has won a championship with out 2 Number 1 players in there respective classes on the team

03 and 04 Uconn had Taurasi and Ann Strother. Nicole Wolff was also on the team she was ranked number 1 coming out of high school on some recruiting sites

09 and 10 Maya Moore and Tina Charles

2011 only Maya Moore, lost to ND in the final four

2012 Only Kaleena Mosqueda-Lewis lost to ND in the final four

2013-15 Kaleena Mosqueda- Lewis and Breanna Stewart 3 peat.

Geno now has Breanna Stewart and Katie Lou Samuelson, if history holds they should win a championship this year.

I expect them to make a final four run next year, but since they missed out on Cox I don't see them winning it all.. 2017 recruiting if Uconn can land Megan Walker or Rellah Boothe to win a championship by 2017-2018